


the city's down a number

by plinys



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: 5 Times, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-30
Updated: 2018-05-30
Packaged: 2019-05-15 20:16:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14797235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/plinys/pseuds/plinys
Summary: “And for the record I’m - I also am - I’m into women.”Gary doesn't even blink at that just says, “Neat.”[Or five times Ava looked out for Gary and one time he returned the favor.]





	the city's down a number

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lucylikestowrite](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lucylikestowrite/gifts).



> i found some old notes for this fic this morning and got inspired to finally write it. ava & gary is lesbain / bisexual solidarity and clearly friendship goals. these are just facts.
> 
> dedicated to lucy, who told me to write this fic so that i could steal her lucky number. 
> 
> (not beta'd)

1

“That's against regulations.”

They're familiar words to Ava. Words she's said frequently enough herself such that that they don't give her pause at first.

She’d chosen this particular part of the library for it's usual lack of chatter from other cadets. Especially now that final practicals were all that stood between them going from cadets to fully fledged time agents.

Not that she doing any studying for her practicals.

No, the files in front of her were much more personal. An almost pet project. One which given implications made by the Director on her aptitude, may just be the branch of the Bureau that she will one day end up running once she rises properly through the ranks.

It wasn't the most exciting.

In fact, if anything it was more frustrating, making her all too eager to look for any excuse to focus on something on than the mishaps of the most dysfunctional group of travelers in all of time.  

Which is what she blames for the reason that she looks up at those familiar words, to see the gathered group of fellow cadets at the other end of the study area.

Which is why she doesn't miss when one of them says - “ _You people_ are always breaking the rules.”

She doesn't know the context. Doesn't need to. The sentiment strikes clear. How many times had she heard similar words - _your kind, you people -_ if not worse.

Getting up to say something is not an option, it's a need. She’s moving without thinking, leaving her desk and research behind to interfere.

“What's the problem here, gentlemen,” Ava says. Using the hard tone that's she's spent more than a few hours practicing in the privacy of her bedroom. The voice she's patented as her future _Director Sharpe_ voice.

It has the intended effect, catching their attention at once.

“Mind your own business,” one grumbles, turning as he does to face her suddenly.

“I was trying to,” Ava says, “But since some of you decided to behave like _infants_ in the study area…”

They're acting like primary school bullies not fully grown adults. And Ava gets the biggest rush of feeling disappointed but not entirely surprised by this whole turn of events.

She casts a disappointing look at the two instigators of this whole mess.

“I'm sorry, I just thought we were cadets of the Time Bureau, not third graders,” Ava says. Eyeing down the group of them. She could take them. If this came to a full brawl she could, but she wouldn't have to.

She was _Ava Sharpe_ and over the months training here she'd managed to make a bit of a reputation for herself.

Enough that she can see the other cadets realizing who she was and stepping back.

“Come on,” One says to the other. “We have studying to do.”

“I'm sure you need it,” Ava replies. Offering them both a tight lipped smile as they finally take the hint. Though one does bump into the cadet they had been, for the lack of a better word, bullying, a moment before.

“Thanks, I’m Gary, by the way and-”

“That is technically against regulations,” Ava says, glancing down at the tiny pin on the lapel. The little rainbow next to his Time Bureau pin, so incredibly _out_ that for a second Ava feels a little envious.

It's not that she's not out. She's known she was into women since she was in the fifth grade, came out fully by time she was fourteen, but this had been different - a new job, in a new city, for a very secretive branch of the government and she just hadn't thought…

Her personal life had no place here.

She didn't come to the Time Bureau to make friends.

And yet, this man, who had been staring at her like was a goddamned _superhero_ moments before, and now looks just the slightly bit concerned, still has his hand hovering in the air for her to shake. He's destined for desk work, she can see it oh so clearly. Ava has a way of figuring people out. He has nothing to offer her in the form of allies to rise up the Time Bureau’s food chain and yet… She did always had a soft spot for pathetic people in need of protection.

Wasn't that one of the many reasons Rip had recruited her?

“Ava,” she says after a moment, finally meeting his hand with her own, “Ava Sharpe.”

“Well, thanks, Cadet Sharpe,” he replies still smiling at her.

“Right,” she replies, pulling her hand back quickly enough. She grabs her folders off of the table. The data she had been looking at before, shoving the old mission reports and personality assessments back into the folders from which they had come. It is only once she's finished consolidating her work that she looks up and realizes Gary is still there.

This surprises her more than it probably should.

Usually people were put off by her brisk and anti-social nature and took the hint to leave, but he wasn't, he was still there looking at her expectantly.

Which is probably why Ava finds herself speaking without fully thinking about it, stumbling over her words that she was a teenager all over again, “And for the record I’m - I also am - I’m into women.”

Gary doesn't even blink at that just says, “Neat.”

Ava’s not sure what she expected.

But it's nice, casual easy acceptance

_Neat._

“What are you working on,” Gary says, seamlessly changing the topic. “I didn't think we had any more assignments? I mean graduation is next week, but-”

“It's independent research,” Ava says quickly. The same answer Ava has given any time someone has pressed her on her special project. But there’s something about this cadet that makes her want to mention a little more than she should. It only feels a little like bragging when she adds. “A special request from Director Hunter himself.”

This earns her another cheerful, “Neat.”

There's something sort of friendly about it all.

And maybe, Ava, could use a friend.

Or even just _someone_ to talk about her research with.

She picks the files up off of the table and tucks them under her arm before asking the question of the hour. “What do you know about the idiots that broke all of time?”

“You mean the Legends?”

“I suppose some would call them that.”

  
  


2

“I choose my own team.”

She'd known this appointment was coming for years. That Rip wouldn't have personally mentored her, wouldn't have given her all that extra research, if there wasn't a purpose for it.

And now, it was all becoming clear, here in Rip’s fancy Director office. An office that she couldn't help but imagine being her own one day. A glass of scotch for each of them.

It was a lot to take in.

She can see why now that Rip brought out the drinks, even if Ava could hardly touch hers.

“You already have agents in mind.”

“A few,” Ava admits. “I like to plan ahead.”

Rip laughs a little at that. A dry sound. As he waves her off. “Of course, you do.”

“I've gathered a list of potential agents, if you'd like I could forward the list your way in the morning,” Ava offers. Having a very strong feeling that Director Hunter was going to be in no position to look over potential new recruits tonight. “One, however, is non negotiable.”

That catches Rip’s attention.

“Who?”

“Agent Gary Green.”

Rip’s confused look remains.

Which Ava supposes is expected. Despite her constantly pushing him, Gary has done absolutely nothing significant in his entire tenure as a Time Bureau agent.

For better or for worse.

“He’s my-” Best friend, probably her _only_ friend if Ava was being honest with herself.

She could make excuses, give reasons, admit that she may have a habit of walking around her apartment ranting about whatever insane Legends exploit Rip has had her research lately. But simple fact of the matter was, that if Ava was rising to the top, she was taking her best friend along for the ride.

Though she can't say all that to Rip, can't really explain it all.

So she just says, “Hes my roommate.”

“Roommate?”

“Housemate, technically,” Ava corrects. “The Time Bureau doesn't exactly pay well enough to afford a nice downtown apartment alone.”

“No, I suppose not.”

  
  


3

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“Not really.”

They’re fresh off yet _another_ encounter with Captain Lance and her team of disasters.

She nearly got them killed, both of them, _all_ of them - and for what? A reckless instinct.

An impulsive belief that Ava wouldn’t be the one to call her bluff.

It had worked, something which Ava hated, being predictable was not her usual and having someone like _Sara Lance_ being able to get a read on her was frustrating to say the least.

The problem is that Sara is also very attractive, practically he epitome of Ava’s type, and she really wants to kiss that smart mouth until she stops talking.

Which is a _problem_.

Because Sara Lance is also a danger to all of time, has been for a while, a documented study of what not to do while time traveling and now…

She needed a distraction.

Which was why she was here on their couch, going through Gary’s matches on whatever dating site he was trying this week, while a rerun of Star Trek: Voyager plays in the background.

“Why are men so unfortunate,” Ava asks, swiping away from yet another mistake. “I mean just like, as a _species,_ everything about men is a mistake.”

Gary makes a mock offended noise gesturing to himself. But at least he doesn't complain about the change in conversational topic, Ava, as always, avoiding any situation in which she needed to talk about her feelings.

“You don't count,” Ava replies.

“Still,” Gary insists.

“It's just,” Ava tilts the screen in his direction. Showing the latest of Gary's truly unfortunate matches.“Why?”

“They're not that bad!”

Ava shoots him a skeptical look. “Sure they're not.”

As if on cue Gary’s phone chimes with an incoming message. One that Ava swipes to reveal without thinking, only to regret it a moment later as a screen fills up with what can only be classified as a _dick pic_.

Ava groans, tossing the phone at Gary, “And there we go that proves my point.”

Gary lets out a sort of awkward laugh as he picks up the phone, taking a far too long look at the picture on the screen.

“Here I am, looking out for you, trying to find someone that will make you happy,” Ava says with just a touch of dramatism, the type she only uses in the privacy of her home. “And I end up with _this.”_

“You know,” Gary offers. Finally putting the phone down. “If you want we could maybe talk about your feelings?”

“I don't have feelings,” Ava says quickly.

Probably a bit too quickly judging by the look Gary gives her.

A look that she pointedly ignores.

Instead she says, “Give me your phone back I've got the perfect scathing reply for Mr. Dick Pic.”

  
  


4

A part of her wants to be mad at Gary for interrupting. To blame him for all of this going terribly wrong.

But Ava knows better.

A part of her always knew that she wasn't meant to be happy. That it had been nice for a while to pretend that she was normal. To sit there across from Sara and smile like it was nothing. Like they were just two normal women on a perfectly normal first date.

Of course they weren’t.

Of course Sara would leave.

Of course the date would go badly.

Of course…

“Ava-”

“It’s fine,” she says, even though it’s not.

Even though she’s upset, stuck in a dress that she never felt comfortable in, and trying hard not to give into the impulse inside of her that says it would be so easy just to cry and write the whole thing off as a lost cause.

Like so many other failed relationships in her past.

But she doesn’t have the time or the luxury to be upset over this.

There’s a job that she needs to do, a Time Bureau storage locker that’s been broken into, and a friend that still has an embarrassed flush to his face. It is so much easier to be furious at Rip, for breaking out of Time Prison and for breaking into the Time Bureau and for humiliating Gary, instead of thinking about the wreckage of her date.

She’s good at this.

Compartmentalizing.

Moving on.

Pretending that nothing is wrong.

“We’re going to sort this out,” Ava says, plain and simple because there was no other alternative to this. “But first, I need to change out of this dress.”

“If it’s any consolation,” Gary offers, “I think you look good in the dress.”

Ava grimaces. “Not helping.”

  
  


5

“We need to talk.”

“Those are dangerous words, pet.”

Oh doesn’t she know. It wasn’t too many days ago that those very words were being turned towards her, breaking everything that she had been pouring her heart into over the past few weeks, before it could all really properly begin.

But this…

This was different.

This was easier.

This was John Constantine, standing in the middle of the Time Bureau lobby waiting for Gary to finish whatever he was working on. Running late as always anyone would assume. If they didn’t know better.

Then again, most wouldn’t have expected Gary to have spent the morning nervously rambling to Ava over coffee about how he wanted this _lunch date_ to go well, and saying all sorts of things about how _charming_ the demonologist in front of her was supposed to be.

Ava couldn’t figure out what exactly Gary saw in him, but she wanted her friend to be happy.

One of them at least deserved to be happy.

Which was why she was here, standing across from a man that still made her feel slightly ill at ease. Even if he very clearly was now no longer a threat between her and Sara’s relationship… Seeing as he was currently trying to seduce her best friend, and seeing as her and Sara didn’t have a relationship anymore other than a working on.

“If you hurt him, I’ll kill you.”

“Is this supposed to be a shovel talk?”

“What do you think,” Ava replies, her voice carrying just the right hint of sarcasm.

She hates that John thinks it’s okay to grin back at her. “I’m harder to kill than I look.”

“I have military training, on top of Time Bureau training,” Ava points out, “And as I am currently the sole Director of the Time Bureau, I can do essentially whatever I want without anyone having the jurisdiction to check in on me. Do you really want to push me?”

His grin remains there. Casual almost, were it not for the way his eyes seem to be suddenly paying more attention to her.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“That when I scatter the bits and pieces of you throughout time so that it’s impossible to put you back together again, nobody will know where to even begin looking for you,” Ava says, matter of fact. It’s the voice she uses with Time Bureau cadets, the one that offers no room for argument.

Her _Director_ voice.

It seems to have an effect on John, because he shifts a little bit, no longer so confident in his pose.

He opens his mouth like he’s about to say something, probably something dumb, an argument comeback, but stops when a third voice cuts across the quiet of the lobby - “John! Sorry I was running late! I had to finish something for the Director and - Oh Director Sharpe! You’re here too?”

They both cast a glance at Gary as he crosses the lobby.

“Are we clear,” Ava says, a low direct whisper, just for John, waiting for his nod of confirmation. Before she steps out of the way. Ignoring the slightly worried gaze that Gary shoots between the two of them as she does so. “Have a good lunch, boys, and have him back by two, or else.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

As she’s walking away she catches the excited note in Gary’s voice and can’t help but smile to herself, “Did you hear that? She’s giving me an extra hour for lunch! A whole hour! She must really like you!”

  
  


+1

Life has been a lot recently.

One terrible revelation right after the other, and despite the fact that technically they (or well the Legends) had saved all of time. It feels like nothing had ever slowed down, as if she still has yet to catch her breath.

She’s not certain that she ever will.

She’s not certain that she ever _has_.

Maybe some other version of her, but not…

It’s easier not to think about it. To throw herself into her work. There are plenty of anachronisms for the Time Bureau to clean up, all of the aftermath of Mallus wrecking time, as well as Little Miss Darhk’s upcoming tribunal to prepare for. Enough that Ava can focus just on work and ignore everything else.

Her personal life.

The truth of who, or more accurately, _what_ she is.

Sara’s smile and promise to sort all of this out later.

The vague idea of even getting anything close to a solid night's rest.

Among other things.

Paperwork, meetings, the occasional trip into the field, her duties as the sole Director of the Time Bureau provided a good enough distraction. And so what if she hadn’t left her office in nearly forty-eight hours. She kept a spare suit in the closet for a reason, and the couch in her room wasn’t entirely uncomfortable for a short nap.

Plus it was better than going back to an apartment that hadn’t felt properly like home since her trip to the future.

She’s certain that the only person that noticed her reluctance to leave the office was Gary, who shot her an anxious look every now and again. As if he could somehow convince her to get a decent night's rest just by looking so sad.

It didn’t work.

Which was why, she supposed she couldn’t be entirely surprised when he recruited someone else to the cause.

Asking, “What are you doing here,” doesn’t seem quite right. Not when they both know the answer.

Not when she can see the worried look on Sara’s face.

At least, she supposes, it is better than pity.

“Ava,” Sara says, her voice carrying just the right note of concern.

The one that makes Ava feel bad about working late.

Only Sara could have this effect on her.

Even when they’re not… Not entirely… Not technically...

The truth is, Ava isn’t certain what they are now, but Sara is looking at her like that with concern and affection and Ava doesn’t know where to even begin to handle that. So she looks away from Sara, looks down at the paperwork she had been filling out before. Words and numbers that now seem to blur together. Maybe she was more tired than she had thought.

“Shouldn’t you be off relaxing or something,” Ava asks, “Celebrating the fact that you’ve saved the world?”

“I’d much rather be here with you.”

Ava snorts at that. Looking up at Sara, and still a little shocked to see the open honesty on her features. “You’d rather be in my office then on a beach in Aruba? You don’t have to lie just to flatter me.”

“Well, no,” Sara replies, before her grin turns a bit mischievous. “I’d much rather be in your bed, with you, but this is a start.”

And that…

Well, maybe that was exactly what she had needed after all.

Maybe Sara was what she had needed after all.

“I suppose I could be persuaded to put my paperwork aside for the evening, though this is _very important_ Time Bureau business, I’ll have you know.”

“Oh, I’m sure it is.”


End file.
